Above The Sky
Chapter 488 - 488 457 The Alchemy Train and the Legend of the Black King 13

488: Chapter 457: The Alchemy Train and the Legend of the Black King (1/3) 488: Chapter 457: The Alchemy Train and the Legend of the Black King (1/3) [Chosen of the Void][Vessel of Desire][Ascension Radiance][Essence of All Beings]

And finally, the [Origin of Creation] and [Reincarnation of the End].

This was the knowledge Ian had gained from Hua’an about the Fae’s research on Spirit Energy.

It had to be said, the information was beyond his common understanding.

At first, the youth tried to match it with what he knew, but as the conversation went on, he could do nothing but nod blankly and order, “Silver Chip, record this for me!”

“[Origin of Creation] and [Reincarnation of the End], huh…

Unpredictable names and natures, I never imagined the future of Spirit Energy would have such a vista.”

Creation and end, origin and reincarnation, just by hearing their names, one could vaguely sense the enormous tidal forces behind this Spirit Energy, and their push on the entire cosmos.

——It seems I know almost nothing about Spirit Energy.

Ian reflected inwardly.

He had no choice; he was fairly proficient in alchemy and inscriptions, and due to six years of hard training, his sublimation skills and swordsmanship could also be considered a rare talent.

But in terms of Spirit Energy, he really was stumbling along, let alone systematically studying it.

He might not have completely understood the specific nature of the first four categories of Spirit Energy, but the corresponding requirements were very clear; Hua’an was well aware of the related content.

However, for the Fifth Spirit Ability, even the fairy maiden knew only a very enticing name, and not even the Dream Academy (the Fae’s Spirit Energy research institute) understood why it was so called, which Ian found regrettable.

However, aside from these five categories, Hua’an went on to explain in detail many different characteristics and training methods for various Spirit Energies.

When she learned that Ian was still using the most basic meditation, she couldn’t help chuckling.

At that moment, the youth understood and blinked his eyes, asking in a very soft tone for Hua’an’s assistance, thoroughly satisfying Hua’an’s strange thrill of ‘being needed.’

The fairy miss promised, assuring Ian to rest easy, for once they arrived in the Imperial Capital, she would help Ian find the Spirit Energy training methods used by the Fae themselves.

“The growth of Spirit Energy, especially for one with Awakened Spiritual Power like you, largely requires fulfilling one’s own desires, an aspect no one else can help you with.”

“But how to hone the sensitivity of Spirit Energy, how to make the activation speed faster, and how to reduce the physical burden on basic operations, there is indeed an effective set of meditation techniques that can aid your training!”

According to Hua’an, the Spirit Energy of the Fae fundamentally was a mix of ‘Life Spirit Energy’ and ‘Natural Spirit Energy’.

Because they innately utilized this composite Spirit Energy, they were keenly aware that the four types of Spirit Energy were fundamentally united.

The Fae’s flight used Natural Spirit Energy.

And lowering one’s presence utilized Life Spirit Energy, an application that conceals one’s own aura and perception from others.

Ian wouldn’t be able to learn it unless he reached the Third Energy Level.

But the Frost Butterfly learned it quickly, and its flying speed became even faster.

So, chatting and exchanging ideas happily, after crossing the Ground Hurricane Bridge and trekking for about a day, they arrived in the vicinity of ‘Bart’s Grand Station’.

At this point, the Frost Butterfly had also mastered the simple Spirit Energy technique of ‘lowering one’s presence.’

As such, except when necessary, Ian appeared to be alone to outsiders…

Of course, buying a ticket at the station was still necessary, as the Fae were quite law-abiding, at least outwardly.

However, Ian had not yet had the chance to understand why Bart’s Grand Station was called a station and why one needed to ‘buy a ticket’.

Accompanied by a low hum from the alchemy furnace, a long train forged from steel drove along a steel track, arriving from afar at a considerable speed, slowly coming to rest in the station.

“A train?!”

Ian, who had just entered the city, widened his eyes, feeling a shock in his heart—undoubtedly, the vehicle before him existed and was very well-established.

The entirety of Bart’s Grand Station, rather than the large staging post he had imagined, seemed to be a highly modernized trade post and ‘train station.’

It was an extremely peculiar sight.

Bart’s Grand Station is located north of the Ground Hurricane Bridge, a distance away from the Great Rift Valley.

It is the end of the Imperial Capital’s direct jurisdiction, and further north lies the Quinor Plains surrounding the Imperial Capital.

From a distance, the station looks like a small town, with the town center being a horseshoe-shaped platform about three stories tall, accompanied by the branches of a dozen or even over a hundred merchants’ associations.

The bustle here surpasses that of Nauman City, as columns of merchant teams depart from here in their large vehicles laden with wares, then leaving.

Or conversely, unloading their cargo here, waiting for the freight train to arrive, bringing treasures from various places to the Imperial Capital.

Due to the thick fog stirred up by the large number of teams and trains, the whole station town is enshrouded in a layer of misty dust, with the luminous signs of merchants’ associations and the lights of the station flickering like fireflies in the fog.

Apart from that, the most numerous establishments in the town are the alchemy workshops and small to medium-sized forges, where the humming of the Origin Quality from the working alchemy furnaces turned Ian’s head frequently.

He could see the flames and the Origin Quality halos lighting up those tall buildings and hear the sounds of giant hammers and the clang of steel forging coming from the forges.

It truly was a scene of feverish activity.

“They’re called Alchemy Trains—but calling them trains isn’t wrong either, after all, alchemy furnaces need fire too.”

Hua’an found this unsurprising, while Ian’s behavior, in the eyes of the locals, looked less like amazement at Terra’s technology and more like a ‘country bumpkin come to town.’

On both sides of the road, some merchants and local residents chuckled softly upon seeing Ian gazing at the trains, but without much malice.

This wasn’t because they were well-mannered, but because the Entwining Void Armor and Iron Pattern Sword Ian was wearing made him look, from the outside, every bit the battle-hardened Knight, a staunch Sublimator.

Mocking this kind of person?

If Ian really got angry, and drew his sword to cut down a couple of people, the local mayor would probably have to bow and apologize to Ian.

But the young man was not angry.

On the contrary, he was quite delighted.

“Exactly, I was saying, with the output of the alchemy furnace, it would be enough to push a rocket, even a rudimentary version, let alone pulling a train which would be relatively easy and definitely profitable…

The speed is quite fast, and the rail technology is also very good.”

Watching one train arrive and another head towards the distance, Ian gained a rough understanding of the distribution and origins of the Alchemy Trains under Hua’an’s explanation.

Alchemy Trains are gigantic alchemical creations popularized during the reign of King Inaga II.

Before his reign, only the urban circle surrounding the Imperial Capital had them.

During King Inaga II’s reign, he spared no expense in constructing the railways for Alchemy Trains throughout the directly-governed territory of the Imperial Capital, and successively phased out several train models, all the way to the current efficient and economical Squall Line Train equipped with the ‘Squall Type III Giant Alchemy Furnace.’

According to the current portrayal of King Inaga II, he insisted on building these massive alchemical transports to speed up the accumulation of wealth from all over The Empire, and there’s even a rumor circulating secretly in the Imperial Capital.

Legend has it that the Black King’s queen loved to eat a kind of ‘Honey Crystal Fruit’ from the south, but this special Sublimation Plant fruit spoils very easily, and thus it was hard for emperors through the ages to enjoy it.

The Black King, to satisfy his beautiful queen’s culinary cravings, specifically ordered the construction of the entire network of Alchemy Trains and rails.

Clearly, this is a fabricated rumor, just to smear the achievements of King Inaga II in building the train network.

But honestly, such claims are a bit too preposterous.

Not to mention that the Alchemy Trains weren’t fast and couldn’t transport Honey Crystal Fruits from the south to the Imperial Capital at all…

even if it were true, as a Fifth Power Level Emperor, why couldn’t King Inaga II just send a knight to carry a Honey Crystal Fruit?

Plenty of people would have jumped at the chance.

The idea that even emperors struggled to indulge is even more ludicrous.

An emperor could simply fly over, eat their fill, and even fish on the way back, all in under an hour—what kind of emperor’s golden carrying pole.jpg

But ordinary people love to hear about the emperor’s golden carrying pole.

Particularly, the domineering attitude of the Black King wasn’t even seen as negative propaganda, but rather as evidence that although the Black King was a Tyrant, he cared deeply for his consort.

Ian even saw a quite luxurious Sublimation Material shop on the side of the station town street, its sign in the round shape of a Honey Crystal Fruit.

“History and rumors…

and the real truth, really differ too much…”

Knowing that King Inaga II was actually a victim of a plot by his queen and his eldest legitimate son, the youth couldn’t help but sigh deeply, “But, although my teacher has told me quite a few stories, what kind of person was King Inaga II, really?”

No amount of helplessness was useful.

With such curiosity and doubts, after steadying his mind, Ian headed for the station.

No matter what, with the trains, he would soon reach the Imperial Capital.